What to wear: Rehearsal dinner

Oh. My. Goodness. I am not even believing Ashley's wedding weekend is actually here. Bananas! But it is,
and I am looking forward to a very fun-filled wedding activity type of weekend. It will so great to finally
have all of our framily back together again.

Considering that I did a "fashion show" from dresses out of Cassidy's closet last night looking for the perfect
dress for the rehearsal dinner tomorrow night, I figured I'd just do a little "what to wear" post on that very
topic today.

While I am a firm believer in sticking with a fun, short flirty dress for said occasion (which is obviously what
I borrowed from Cass last night) I also included a few longer dress lengths and even one pant suit in the lineup.
Cause you know, we all have different styles!

Happy friday yall! Hope your weekend is filled with as much love as mine is about to be! :)

Under the {fashion} influence: Alexa Chung v. 3

I would have never in a million years thought to put these two cream items in my closet together into one outfit. But from the second I saw this photo of Alexa I was smitten with the idea. It just looks so fresh and lady like. And it was things I already had in my closet that had just never been worn together. Hello new outfit (that I didn't recently purchase)!

Oh and in other news, I found all of my lost jewelry! My rings were in my other gym bag (yeah, cause who has two gym bags?) and my heart locket had fallen off in my car. Success!

Here's the cheapskate outfit breakdown:

1. Sweater, Old Navy (??)
2. Pleated skirt, Forever21 ($19.50)
3. Strappy heels, Rack Room Shoes ($7.50)
4. Clutch, ?? (??)
5. Earrings, bought in Africa ($7.00)
6. Vintage Ray Ban sunglasses, gifted (thanks Mom!)
7. Leaf ring, gifted (thanks Em!)

Total: Under $75

 

photos: Leslie Evans

Under the {fashion} influence: Alexa Chung v2

I always love it when I stumble across a photo of a celebrity wearing a look that I not only love, but also when she is wearing pieces similar to items that I own because I know it means that I can recreate the look as best as possible.
Alexa Chung is just one of the many gals that I have my eye on and I have stolen more than just one of her looks.

I've held on to this photo of her since I first saw it in this article on WWWD in 2010. Clearly it struck my fancy, not only because it's a super cool casual rockstar look, but also because I have an army jacket/tunic almost identical to the one she is wearing.  So finally (two year laters -yeesh!) I am actually putting it to good use and swiping her style!

Here's the cheapskate outfit breakdown:

1. Army green tunic, Rugged Warehouse ($9.99)
2. LEI cut off shorts, Kohl's ($12.99)
3. Black tanktop, GAP outlet ($6.99)
4. Cream lace top, Banana Republic (forever ago - $78.50 - one of the few splurges in my life!)
5. Platform wedges, Charlotte Russe ($32.50)
6. Socks, Charlotte Russe ($2.99)
7. Black doctor's bag, ATL market ($30.00)
8. Vintage Serengeti sunglasses, borrowed (from my photographer, also one of the few splurges in her life)
9. Pendant necklace, Forever 21 (??)
10. Thumb ring, Charlotte Russe ($2.99 - part of stackable set)
11. All other rings, gifted
12. Earrings, Charlotte Russe (??)

Total: Under $200

What to wear: Sidewalk Film Festival

photos taken from WWWD and people.com

Yep. That's right. The Sidewalk Film Festival has arrived a month early here in the Magic City, and I for one couldn't be more ecstatic! Weekend pass is purchased, most of my movie choices have been narrowed down and the opening film starts Friday night at 8 p.m. All I have to do now is figure out what to wear for the next three days to this incredible event. Oh, is that all?

As an everyday-average kind of gal, determining what to wear to an event like this (or heck, even to work for that matter!) is always a process, am I right? A weekend long film festival is certainly no exception. So I'm turning to some of the best leading ladies out there for some inspiration. I thought I'd post my top choices just in case some of you other gals are trying to figure out what to wear for such an occasion as this. When researching my inspiration, I preemptively determined what type of outfits I was looking for based on a few wardrobe challenge assumptions I have.

Here's what I've determined these challenges to be: 1) it's still crazy hot here in AL, but I imagine that  it will be cold inside the theaters, so layers are important, 2) I will be walking all over downtown Bham, therefore flats/comfy shoes are a must and 3) most importantly, everything I choose needs to be hip and casual, not glamorous. Basically, I'd liken this type of an event to a music festival.

I've noticed a few patterns in the inspiration outfits I've chosen: flared jeans, olive green and a laid back hippie/ster vibe. So get ready for a follow up post next week featuring something I've pulled from the back of my closet that incorporates these types of items.

Later skaters! Enjoy the show!

ps. If you're at Sidewalk, look for me! I'm hoping to start BHAM street style this weekend and would love to feature you on my blog!

Under the {fashion} influence: Alexa Chung

Here in the south we have a time of year called “Blackberry Winter.” Usually around early to mid-May, after you have purged all coats and long sleeves and boots from your closet (because it’s been in the high 70s since mid-April), the temperature will unexpectedly drop to somewhere around the 50s for a few days. I say “unexpectedly” because for some reason, I am caught off guard by this every year. Yes, you’d think by now I’d know it was coming, but sometimes you think the cold snap has already came through, only to be tricked by Mother Nature once again.

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, Blackberry Winter decided to appear, leaving me running to my spare closet in a desperate search for something warm and easily accessible. Luckily I was able to spot this new/old dress front and center, which I bought earlier this spring while thrifting because it reminded me of something Alexa Chung would wear. It was freshly dry cleaned and ready for me to rock it for the first time. I chose to style it with black heels and white tights this go around, but I can’t wait to try different shoes and accessories and tights later in the year when the weather changes again.

photos: Laura Menconi

ps. Blackberry Winter came back again this past weekend, so tricky that Alabama weather is!